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Tim Carpenter: Board of Education candidate at a loss

Jack Wu's long-shot candidacy on the Republican ticket for a seat on the Kansas State Board of Education is profound for a simple reason.

The man is allied with Westboro Baptist Church, which maintains international attention by picketing funerals to highlight the Topeka church's condemnation of homosexuality.

Wu, who moved to Kansas from California to attend services at Westboro, said in June he was seeking elective office to "make a difference in this evil city of Topeka and this perverse state of Kansas."

While his vision of reform — evolution is a Satanic lie that ought to be purged from K-12 public school curriculum — is clear, Wu apparently has an information deficit when it comes to Kansas historic places.

It might be useful to familiarize himself more with Topeka if he prevails in a bid to capture the 4th District seat held by Democrat Carolyn Campbell, of Topeka.

Here is why: Wu had agreed to a recent campaign interview with Brad Cooper, a reporter with The Kansas City Star. The idea was for writer and subject to meet at the Kansas Capitol, a tall building located in the downtown area constructed of stone, marble and copper.

Instead, Wu showed up at offices of The Topeka Capital-Journal several blocks away on Jefferson Street. Wu was convinced the Star and Capital-Journal shared an office east of I-70.

Capital-Journal employees tried to clear up confusion by explaining Cooper didn't work at the Topeka publication. Wu's appointment should have taken him to the Statehouse, he was told, where Cooper was likely waiting.

Then, the other shoe dropped.

Wu asked folks at The Capital-Journal for directions to the Capitol. Not joking. He needed assistance to make his way 0.7 miles from 609 S.E. Jefferson to 8th Avenue and Van Buren Street.

Campbell, a one-term member of the 10-member state education board, wouldn’t need such counsel. She works in the Capitol during the legislative session as receptionist for a senator.

What happens if Wu is victorious and must travel to monthly meetings of the Board of Education? The board tackles management of education policy — standardized testing as well as science, math and reading curriculum — at a bland building 0.1 miles from the Capitol. He might get lost.

Apparently, Wu managed to locate Cooper under the dome.

Wu, 29, told the Star that people who embrace views drawn from the Bible, even if politically unpopular, would be rewarded in ways far more meaningful than at a ballot box.

"The truth matters more than the opinion of other men and women," Wu said. "The Bible says if you're hated by other people for taking a stance that's not popular, it's like a sign you're chosen by God, almost."